LASER POINTER

INTRODUCTION:
The laser pointer is a low cost portable laser that can be carried in the
hand. It is designed for use during presentations to point out areas of
the slide or picture being presented, replacing a hand held wooden stick
or extendable metal pointer. It is superior over older pointers because it
can be used from several hundred feet away in a darkened area and
because it produces a bright spot of light precisely where the user
desires. It has also caught on as an all-purpose pointing tool and has
become so commonplace that laws have been passed to restrict its use .

HISTORY:
Technically, the word laser is an acronym that stands for "light
amplification by stimulated emission of radiation" .The radiation is the
light that is emitted from the laser; this light can be visible or invisible to
the human eye.The theory used to produce lasers was published in
1958 by researchers at Bell Labs. The first laser, built in 1960 at Hughes
Aircraft, used a piece of ruby for a lasing medium, light for an energy
source, and mirrors to produce a resonator. The semiconductor laser
was invented in 1962. It used a semiconductor material

RAW MATERIALS:
A laser diode is less complicated than many types of consumer
electronic equipment. It consists of a laser diode, a circuit board, a case,
optics, and a case. Some of the electrical components on the circuit
board and the laser diode are made of semiconductor materials,
metals, and ceramics. The semiconductor materials include compounds
(materials made of more than one pure element) made of aluminum,
gallium, arsenic, phosphorus, indium, and similar elements. These
compounds are used in a variety of semiconductor products.
Semiconductors also contain metals such as aluminum, gold, and
tantalum.

DESIGN:
The design of the laser pointer depends on the electrical requirements
of the laser diode, the desired lifetime of the power supply, and the
drive to produce smaller consumer products. The smallest laser
pointers are less than two inches in length, but some laser pointers are
designed to look like pens. The longer laser pointers can hold AAA or AA
batteries, which provide a longer lasting power supply than the watch
batteries used in the shorter laser pointers. Most laser pointers use two
or three batteries.

MANUFACTURE PROCESS AND QUALITY CONTROL:

The laser diode is produced in a semiconductor fab (a factory where
semiconductor materials are produced in very clean and carefully
controlled conditions). The substrate is the base material on which
other materials will be deposited. A wafer of the substrate is produced,
cleaned, and prepared. Then it goes through several steps where layers
of material are deposited on it. Some of these layers are only several
atoms thick. These layers can be conductive (metals such as alumin and
gold) or semiconductors (as described above). These layers can also be
altered by exposure to other chemicals.
Electrically insulative plate is diced (cut apart, usually into rectangular
sections) into individual diodes. The diodes are tested either on the
wafer or after separation, and nonfunctioning ones are scrapped
(thrown away). Working laser diodes are then packaged in a plastic
container with metal leads for electrical connection.

A semiconductor manufacturer uses highly controlled processes that

have been developed in laboratories and then transferred to the
fabrication facility. Laser diodes are tested to make sure that they work
after fabrication as well. Each other component is also tested to make
sure that it works. Most manufacturing facilities will randomly test their
products and use statistical control methods to provide quality
products.

When the laser diode assembly or the laser pointer is finally

assembled it will be powered and tested with a light detecting device,
such as a photodiode, to measure its power output. Laser pointers are
Type IIIA laser devices and must produce 5 mW (milliwatt, one
thousandth of a watt) of power or less for the United States market.
Laser pointers for the European market are typically Class II laser
devices and must produce less than 1 mW. These restrictions are for
safety purposes.

BY PRODUCTS/WASTE:
Laser pointers contain metals, plastics, and electronic parts. Each of
those industries has specific waste byproducts (solvents, halocarbon
gases, lead, chemicals), but laser pointer assembly has no specific
wastes until the laser pointer is disposed of. A laser pointer contains
small amounts of hazardous materials, such as lead and some toxic
semiconductors. Like other electronic assemblies, it may be safer for
the environment in the long term to recycle the components, though
this is expensive and there are few programs in place to recycle or reuse
electronics.

FUTURE:
Red laser pointers are the least expensive and most common today.
Green laser pointers have more complicated laser diode assemblies and
cost hundreds of dollars. Blue and violet laser pointers will be available
soon at a higher price. Newer laser diode types come down in price as
production volumes increase in order to keep up with demand, and as
production processes improve. Laws that restrict laser pointer use may
counteract this trend by causing a drop in demand as laser pointers are
banned from public places.
LIFE CYCLE OF
LASER POINTER

BY
P.KAVYA SRI
18R21A04A5
ECE-B